


The Bookstore

by Kimiinthetardis



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, F/M, Fluff, Shameless Nerd Flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 12:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17807993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimiinthetardis/pseuds/Kimiinthetardis
Summary: Matthew doesn’t want to be cooped up in that library surrounded by creatures and/or he wants an excuse to spend time with Diana- so he takes Diana on a spontaneous “friend date” around Oxford.Set some undisclosed time before Witchwind.I really wanted an excuse to write about Diana and Matthew in a bookstore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Notes: 1- of course I don’t own any characters or rights (do people still write this stuff anymore?, idek)  
> 2- shout out to my girl Tegan, my beta- you da best  
> 3- shout out to this fandom- I love y’all

Matthew appeared at the entrance to her college again, hoping he wasn’t crossing some line in the sand they hadn’t yet discussed. But Diana's blue eyes lit up when she saw him after saying good morning to Frank, the guard on duty.  

“Are you going to steal me away from the library again?” Diana asked, her lips pulling up to one side in a smirk. “I _will_ have to finish my research eventually. That paper isn’t going to write itself.” She almost shuddered thinking of the time she’d already lost with those creatures in the library.

“But surely you’ll work more effectively if you have a break to clear your mind?” Matthew countered, sauntering over.

“Oh? And what was Tuesday then? An excuse to take me to the countryside?”

“It was practically historical research, Diana, you were quite literally walking through history,” eyebrow raised, “You even read books in a make-shift cradle.”

“And saved them from being drowned in your wine!” she teased, rolling her eyes. She was still a little angry he would risk those beautiful books just to prove her magic.

She didn’t quite know why, but she really did want to spend the day with him. She was curious about him. How many layers could she peel back today?

Ashmole be damned. “Alright, where are we going?”

Matthew broke into a grin at her response. “This way, Diana.”

 

The pair walked for a few minutes in companionable silence, neither of them wanting to break the spell of whatever was happening. If she was honest, Diana was already enjoying herself. The early morning sunlight dappled over ancient trees and bricks, the smell of cafes nearby roasting coffee, and walking with a (very attractive) piece of living history. She’d been in Oxford for nearly a month now, and she still hadn’t really explored anything that wasn’t the Bod or her favourite café where she had camped out finishing her PhD.

Rounding a corner, Matthew led her down a small alley. Diana’s heart-rate picked up a few beats. It’s not that she didn’t feel safe with Matthew, she did; it was that she was a woman walking into an alleyway, and old caution die hard. But all her fears evaporated when she saw where Matthew had brought her:   _Ms_. _Pelumbra’s Second Hand Book Store_. She had been meaning to come here for her entire doctorate but had never found the time.   

Matthew began to reach for the door to let them in but quickly thought better of it after last time. As much as he liked seeing sassy Diana, he didn’t want to _actually_ annoy her. He’d find other ways to (accidentally) flirt with his companion.  

He did have a plan for this adventure; the surprise wasn’t just the bookstore. There were a couple of books he wanted to show her, and he wanted to give her a little historical tour. Did he want to impress her? Is this why he was doing this? He didn’t really want to answer those questions. That might mean admitting there was something more than simple (definitely controlled) bloodlust going on.

So instead of thinking, he kept his eyes on Diana, who was running her fingers gently over the spines of these well-loved books. She was wandering through the stacks, the smile on her face growing with each section she passed. Matthew hadn’t known her long, but he didn’t think he had ever seen her this happy. It almost looked as though she was glowing. It must have been the early-morning light coming into the shop...

 

After a few minutes, Diana felt Matthew’s gaze on her and realised he had been staring the whole time. She found she didn’t mind, though she knew she probably should. But Matthew’s stare felt different from other creatures, it was cool rather than cold, and rather than making her feel on edge, it made her feel safe.  

Diana wandered over to the vampire to see what he was looking at. He was in the fiction section, surrounded by some of the greatest tales ever told.  
  
“Anything interesting on this side of the store?” Diana murmured, sidling up to Matthew and stopping slightly closer than was _strictly_ necessary.

She spied a Shakespearean folio sitting beneath his fingers. “Let me guess,” she looked up at him. “Shakespeare used you as a historical reference for Macbeth?”  
  
Matthew chuckled. “No, I was still in France when the Scottish kings were at each other’s throats.” He went on to tell her about _Will_ being terrible at cards and having greatly improved flirtation skills by the time Matthew said goodbye to move back to the continent. He also mentioned that Marlowe did _not_ write Shakespeare’s works. “Not sure who Kit slept with to get that rumour started, but apparently it worked.”

Diana rolled her eyes but found herself laughing along with him anyway, entranced by his stories. She could feel that staring again and realised she had shifted closer to the vampire. She looked up at him and wondered - how many lifetimes worth of stories did he have? How many points of history had he touched? She didn’t realise she was still being drawn to him, lifting to the balls of her feet to meet him.

  
The doorbell chimed as another patron entered the little store, and the spell was broken.

Neither of them seemed to breathe for a few moments. But that was usual for half the pair.

Matthew broke the silence first. “How about a coffee?”

“Definitely.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning about Matthew’s past, Diana decides to share some of her own history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I have to go look up my notes on a subject I took on the history of religion and science in 2015 to write this chapter? Yes, I did. Do I regret it? No. Did I think a subject where I learned about Galileo and Richard Dawkins would come in handy for fanfiction? No, I did not. Life is weird y’all.

The pair started with coffee at Matthew’s favourite hideaway, a little place tucked in an arcade. The coffee turned into a long lunch, and the long lunch turned into a passionate discussion on the finer points of the Scientific Revolution and its links with the Renaissance. Diana wondered more than once whether or not it would be academically acceptable to reference Matthew in her next paper.

She isn’t sure how it happened, but halfway through discussing the transition from alchemy to chemistry a spark seemed to ignite right in the centre of her ribs. Just a small spark, but she suddenly felt more grounded, like she could feel the energy of the earth beneath her feet. It was so slight she hardly noticed, but it brought a small smile to her face and she felt more alive.

After they were gently ushered out of the café (15 minutes past closing), Diana bumped her shoulder into Matthew’s. “I have something to show you,” she said. Matthew had shared so much with her today, she wanted to return the favour. She wanted him to know her life too.

“Lead the way,” said Matthew, and he offered Diana his arm.

 

They meandered their way back towards Oxford, enjoying the cool breeze of autumn in London that brought with it notes of rose and violet. Diana steered them towards a secluded garden at the edge of campus and into a little wooden hut.

Diana sat down on one of the benches inside and patted the spot next to her.

“I found this place after my mid-candidature review,” she began. “I was wandering aimlessly around campus, freaking out after I bungled one of my answers. I just felt like such an idiot, like I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. What the hell did I know about alchemy and its relationship to the microcosm-macrocosm theory?” She sighed heavily.

After a few moments of silence, Diana felt Matthew rest his hand on top of hers between them on the seat. “I would suggest that you knew quite a bit. After all, you do have a PhD on the topic.” He smiled, in awe of the young witch next to him. The life she had made in such a short amount of time, everything she’d accomplished, the strength she had shown. She was utterly amazing. This whole situation might have started with the Book of Life, but every conversion he had with her seemed to shift his world, little by little, until Ashmol 782 hardly mattered anymore.  
  
He was pulled from his meditation on the nature of Diana Bishop when she spoke again.

“Well, yeah, when you put it like _that_.” She almost smiled _._  "Anyway, I had a bit of a cry about it, but I got my shit together eventually. And found out the next day that I passed with flying colours.” She really smiled then. “I don’t think I even told Em and Sarah that story,” she whispered, and looked into Matthew’s deep blue eyes.

“Thank you for trusting me,” Matthew whispered back, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb absent-mindedly.

They sat quietly in the heavy silence for a few minutes, alone with each of their thoughts.

 

On the way back to Diana’s rooms they walked through a quad and passed a small alcove. Diana’s eyes were drawn to the corner, but she quickly looked away after a fierce blush. Matthew heard her heart rate pick up, and saw the faint colour in her cheeks. His curiosity got the better of him.

“Something to share with the class, Diana?” he teased her.

“I may or may not have had a rather… _intense_ make-out session in there,” she rushed. “With a guy named Trent.”

Matthew almost flinched at the thought of another man’s hands on Diana; but he reminded himself that he doesn’t own her, or her past. Besides, she smiled at the memory, so it’s not as though he’d have to break any bones.  
  
“It was the only time I ever skipped class,” she laughed.

Matthew scoffed at that, but given her dedication to her studies at the Bod, he shouldn’t be surprised.

“I broke his heart a week later,” she sighed. “It was never going to work. He was in love with me and I wasn’t with him.” Her mood had shifted, and Matthew decided to reconsider the bone-breaking.

Matthew could tell there was more to the story, but she’d been gentle with him, so he could only offer her the same kindness. So he simply brushed his hand against hers as he had in the hut, to let Diana know he was still there if she needed him.

“He said I was fragile,” she murmured and felt Matthew tense beside her. “He didn’t break my heart,” she assured, “but he was a bit of a dick.” Her voice was lighter then. “My girlfriends force fed me gin and cake to get over him. I didn’t really need to get over anything, but a 24 year old isn’t going to pass up free carbs and alcohol.” She giggled, her mood lifting again, reliving the nights out dancing at the student bar she was dragged to. She intertwined her fingers with his.

“How _anyone_ could think you are ...” he gritted his teeth at the word “ _fragile_ , is completely incomprehensible”. He’d known her a week and he already knew she was one of the strongest people he’d met in a very, very long time. He admired her strength, her resilience, and her drive. They were the very essence of her being. He knew she was strong, so why did he feel such a force to protect her?

His mood softened as Diana turned to look up at him. He looked down at her and he swiped his thumb over her wrist, feeling the pulse of this strong, impossible witch.

 

They walked on, through the quad, hands still entwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much, everyone! Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
